Neusimmeringen parish church

Roman Catholic parish church for the Immaculate Conception in Simmering

The Roman Catholic parish church of Neusimmering is located in Vienna's 11th district Simmering on Enkplatz and is a listed building . It was built from 1907 to 1910 according to plans by the architect Hans (Johann) Schneider in the neo-Romanesque style and is consecrated to Maria, Immaculate Conception . Which the parish associated parish Neusimmering located in Stadtdekanat 11 of the Vienna Archdiocese belonging city Vicariate Vienna . On April 1, 2018, the parish of Neusimmering was merged with the parishes of Hasenleiten and St. Lukas to form the parish of Zur Divlichen Liebe. The parish church of Neusimmering has been the parish church of the parish of Zur Divlichen Liebe ever since.

history

When the old parish church became too small in the second half of the 19th century due to the increasing population of Simmering , discussions about the construction of a new church began. After the establishment of a church building fund by Pastor Matthias Ziegler in 1872, the Simmering community made the area of the market square at Enkplatz available for this project in 1886 . The foundation stone was laid, the mayor of Vienna , Karl Lueger and Archduke Franz Ferdinand , however, attended took place, until October 26, 1907, because until 1904 the building was not secured and in 1895 on part of the pledged area an office building, now the Municipal District Office the 11th district , was established. There were three drafts for the architectural design of the church to choose from, and a referendum was ultimately drawn on that of Hans Schneider, who had worked for Heinrich von Ferstel at the Votive Church years earlier . The construction was carried out by the city master builder Georg Löwitsch, who was in charge of the execution of the replica of the Laimgrubenkirche in Mariahilf as early as 1906 .

After around three years of construction, the church on Enkplatz was consecrated on December 7, 1910 in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I by the Vienna Archbishop-Coadjutor Franz Xaver Nagl . As the Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-Jubilee Church , it also served to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I. In the first years of its existence, it was a branch church of the Altsimmeringen parish church, until it became a parish church in 1915 and thus became independent . During the Second World War , the sacristy was destroyed by a bomb hit, killing 14 people. In 1946 and 1947 the damaged church was restored. The high altar painting Birth of Mary by the Biedermeier painter Leopold Kupelwieser was transferred here from the Klosterneuburg collegiate church in 1958 . In 1966, in memory of the old mother parish, the spire of the Altsimmeringen parish church, which was removed in 1810, was embedded in the north wall of the church. Extensive renovation work began in 1999.

Since November 29, 2015, the parish of Neusimmering has been part of the structural process of the Archdiocese of Vienna , together with the parishes of Altsimmering , Hasenleiten and St. Lukas . With effect from April 1, 2018, the parishes of Neu-Simmering, Hasenleiten and St. Lukas were merged to form the new parish "Zur Götlichen Liebe". Since then, the three parishes have received pastoral care from the Order of Resurrectionists .

architecture

The neo-Romanesque church with its 56 meter high towers with specific tower roofs is a landmark of Simmering that can be seen from afar. The double tower facade has an open porch. The interior of the three-aisled church offers space for 2800 people. The construction of the building is one of the first reinforced concrete structures in Vienna and was designed by the k. and k. Court locksmith and iron constructor Ignaz Gridl . The span of the main nave is 15 meters, the clear height 19.65 meters. The total width of the three naves is 23.5 meters, the church interior measures 53 meters at its longest point.

Furnishing

inside view

Today's high altar was erected in 1958. The altarpiece was painted in 1833 by Leopold Kupelwieser for the high altar of the Klosterneuburg collegiate church. St. Augustine kneels in the lower left corner, opposite him in the lower right corner of the picture St. Leopold, who also founded Klosterneuburg Abbey . On a pedestal between the two saints is a circular medallion with a representation of the prophet Isaiah with a banner. It reads: "Virgo concipiet et pariet" (in German : "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.") At the top, three female figures are depicted, representing the three divine virtues of faith , hope and love . On the altarpiece, hope points to her function as a “mediator to God”, the representation of faith folds her hands in prayer and the little Jesus carries love. Above it, Mary's mother, Anna, is depicted as having given birth . Saint Joachim is shown next to her head . Helping women can be seen at the end of the bed. A monogram of Mary in a halo is painted over it. All around are angels who praise and praise God.

The stations of the cross as well as the cover of the baptismal font, which represents the "Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan", are made of bronze. The reliefs come from the Simmering sculptor Josef Ailec , as do the stone reliefs on the font. The mosaics on the side altars date from around 1910. In the arched niches of the side altars there are secessionist mosaics depicting the “Our Lady of Sorrows” on the left and Saint Cecilia on the right . The organ, built in 1960, was made by Philipp Eppel . The Jacob's bell from 1909 comes from the Gößner bell foundry, five other bells are from 1926.

In 1958, a sandstone figure of the Immaculate Conception by the sculptor Barwig was transferred from the high altar that had been destroyed in World War II to the subsidiary church in Neubau-Kreuzstetten .

Others

The composer Friedrich Gulda performed his mass in B flat major for the first time in the parish church of Neusimmering. The mass was created as a thesis by the composition student in Joseph Marx's class .

literature

Wolfgang J. Bandion: Stone witnesses of faith. The holy places of the city of Vienna . Herold Verlag, Vienna 1989, ISBN 3-7008-0375-3 , p. 228 f .
DEHIO Vienna - X. to XIX. and XXI. to XXIII. District . Schroll, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-7031-0693-X .
Hans Havelka: Simmering. History of the 11th district of Vienna and its old places . Jugend und Volk, Vienna 1983, ISBN 3-7141-6230-5 .
Alfred Missong: Holy Vienna. A guide through Vienna's churches and chapels . Gsur & Co, Vienna 1933, p. 186 .